About a year ago, Mike Robertson came out with an outstanding product, The Single-Leg Solution - and it reminded me of an experience I once had at a seminar. A guy posed the following question to a panel of speakers in which I was included:
"If you could only choose one exercise to do, what would it be?"
We all agreed that it was a pretty stupid and unrealistic question, but reluctantly, we each answered. In spite of my distaste for the question, I responded without hesitation: "Lunges - or any single-leg exercise, for that matter."
In my eyes, single-leg work really is that valuable - and for a lot of reasons.
(Gold star to none other than me for thinking of up the title for him. Booyeah.)
So why is single-leg work the best thing since sliced bread?
First, there is obviously going to be some direct carryover to the functional demands of life and athletics, as we spend most of our life on one foot in one capacity or another. Muscular recruitment patterns are different for bilateral and unilateral exercises, so in terms of specificity, single-leg work really can't be beat.
Second, it's much more lower-back friendly, as you can load single-leg exercises appreciably without axial loading. And, to take it a step further, it is easier to maintain neutral spine (and avoid lumbar flexion with compressive loading) with a split-stance - regardless of whether you axially load or hold the weights in the hands at one's sides. Simply stated, while single-leg exercises will never (at least in my eyes) take the place of squatting and deadlifting, they are absolutely essential supplemental exercises for one's training repertoire.
Third, in the case of back pain (or hip pain, with femoroacetebular impingement being an example), they're hugely helpful in allowing one to maintain a training effect in spite of whatever pain is present.
Fourth, single-leg exercises are hard. Let's face it: most people exercise like pansies and pick the exercises they like the most, not the ones that they need the most - or the ones that are the hardest. This is 225 pounds for eight pretty effortless reps, which makes girls want him and guys want to be him (or something like that).
Fifth, Robertson insists they are good, and this guy knows as much about knees as anyone I've ever met. If you want to keep your wheels strong and healthy for the long-term, including them is a no-brainer.
This is just five reasons to include single-leg work in your programming, and frankly, Mike includes a heck of a lot more in the 96-page tag-along manual that accompanies the 60-minute DVD in The Single-Leg Solution Package.
Knowing that single-leg work is important isn't enough, though, as I see exercise enthusiasts and fitness professionals alike absolutely butchering the technique on these exercises. And, they have absolutely no rhyme or reason for the "who, what, when, where, why" they include them; it is just throwing a wad of turd on the wall to see what sticks. Optimal progress is dependent on population-specific exercise selection, pristine technical execution, and pinpoint exercise progressions - and this is where Mike really shines with this product.
So, whether you're a personal trainer, bodybuilder, powerlifter, runner with knee pain, desk jockey with a bad back, or just some random dude who wants to get stronger, move better, and be just a little more awesome, I'd highly encourage you to check out The Single-Leg Solution..
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Tomorrow is marathon day here in Boston. On one hand, it's a great day in our city, as loads of money is raised for charity and quite a few high level, well-prepared athletes come to town to compete for a Boston Marathon crow.
Unfortunately, it's also a day when hip replacements become reality and 140-pound dudes in shorty-short shorts instantly become Johnny Brassballs so that they can fight through pain (and runner's diarrhea) to complete a 26.2 biomechanical nightmare that is the exercise equivalent of taking a 1983 Chevy Cavilier out for the Daytona 500. The Boston Globe ran a feature today that noted, "Each year for the past three years, about 1,000 qualifiers received medical deferments, allowing them to postpone their eligibility to run until the next year. As of last week, about 600 of the nearly 27,000 people registered to run tomorrow had sought deferments, and the organizers expected that number could double."
Out of the Running
The thing that I think frustrates me the most about this scenario is that all the modalities listed as "treatments" are really just band-aids on a ruptured aorta. They talk about oral NSAIDs, cortisone shots, ice, massage, knee straps, surgery, physical therapy - all REACTIVE modalities. People wait for issues to reach threshold and only then do they start to perceive them as problematic. And, there will never, ever, ever, ever, ever be any modality that will overcome a dysfunctional runner with a completely warped perception of reality a few weeks out from an event so physically demanding that it actually killed the first guy ever to do it.
So, with this year's marathon upon us, I'm going to make a plea to the (few?) marathoners out there who actually read this: start preparing on Tuesday for next year's event if you plan to run it. Be a regular athlete before you try to become an elite athlete. Don't run to get fit; get fit to run.
Four-month training programs are a load of B.S.; nobody became elite at anything in four months. Instead, put in a legitimate year of strength training, flexibility training, (energy systems) cross-training, sprint work, threshold work, and solid nutrition BEFORE you start running any longer. You'll feel like a million bucks and blow this year's time out of the water.
Confucius said that "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." So, here's Step 1. Get a foam roller and start doing this series every day:
Here are a few recommendations for this week:
East Coast Muscle - Recently, Men's Health Fitness Editor Adam Bornstein traveled all along the East Coast to check out several training facilities - one of which was Cressey Performance. This blog post details his experiences and features a picture of one dead sexy guy named Cressey lifting heavy stuff.
Five Resistance Training Myths in the Running World - This is one of my most popular articles of all-time, and with the number of crazy endurance folks getting ready for the Boston Marathon in 10-degree weather, it seemed like a fitting time to bring this piece to the forefront once again.
Made to Stick - Someone mentioned this in conversation the other day, and it reminded me that it was one of my favorite books of the past five years. It's a great read - whether you're a teacher, trainer, parent, or any of a number of other things!
I’ve spoken on many occasions about how you need to get fit to run, not run to get fit. This is applicable not only to staying healthy as an endurance athlete, but also to performing at a high level. You don’t have to look any further than the results of this past weekend’s U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon.
For those that missed it, Ryan Hall not only broke the Olympic Trials record with a 2:09:02 finish, but also bested his nearest competitor by over two minutes. This adds to a celebrated list of accomplishments for the former Stanford standout; this list includes the American marathon debut record and American record in the half-marathon (59:43).
The most impressive part?
Hall started as a miler – and didn’t even do his first marathon until April of 2007. Everything else was 1500m, 1,600m, 4,000m, and 5,000m – nothing that involved running for more than an hour.
So, the next time you’re told that the secret to “breaking” into the running world is to simply up your mileage, think of Ryan Hall…running fast.
Will the excercises on Magnificent Mobility help treat runner's knee, along with the tight IT bands and hamstrings? Are there different exercises which you would recommend for the knee/IT band problems?
I haven't bought the dvd's yet, but if they'll help my knees I'd consider it.
Absolutely, Peter. Most knee issues arise from lack of mobility at the ankles and hips - so one goes to the knee (what should be a stable joint) and creates range of motion. We've had a lot of great feedback from people with bum knees who have seen great results with the DVD.
Mike and I are more than happy to help you customize the drills to your needs.
I'd also recommend that you pick up a foam roller to work on soft tissue quality in the ITB/TFL. You can read more about it here. I'd also recommend that you take a lacrosse ball to your calves and glutes to free up any restrictions that are there - very common in anterior and lateral knee pain.
